->''"Where have all the good men gone\\and where are all the gods?\\Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds? (...)\\I need a hero!\\I'm [[TropeNamers holding out for a hero]] till the end of the night\\He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast\\and he's gotta be fresh from the fight"''-->-- '''Bonnie Tyler''', "Holding Out for a Hero"

The crime rate in the CityOfAdventure is on the rise due to a new [[TheSyndicate criminal syndicate]] in town. Should people vote for more police funding and work on improving inner city economics so that fewer people turn to crime? No. [[BystanderSyndrome Why should they?]] A Hero will take care of it.

The transportation system seems to be incredibly buggy. Every month there's at least one train/plane/subway crash that sends its passengers to apparent fiery doom. Should higher industrial standards be made to prevent these from occurring? Naah, as long as a [[{{Trainstopping}} hero catches it]] each time, it's not really a problem.

TheGovernment is taking away people's rights; should people rise up against it? ...that's iffy, LaResistance is often either ineffective or [[FullCircleRevolution will become just as bad]] should they actually succeed. Let's just have the hero take care of it.

Holding Out for a Hero is the deconstruction to the notion of a {{Superhero}} and a subversion of BigDamnHeroes. They've stopped becoming inspirations; and instead [[BystanderSyndrome enable helplessness]] and [[GoingForTheBigScoop recklessness]]. {{Muggles}} should stay out of things and let the special people do it. In fact, whenever the little people ''do'' try to change their own world, then they're either [[RedShirtArmy cannon fodder]] or else [[SuperRegistrationAct engaging in fascism]] [[WhatMeasureIsANonSuper out of fear]]. The {{Masquerade}} is often used by the ''good guys'' to prevent humanity from learning about the forces of the ''bad guys'' (even ones that are constantly killing them), because there's nothing they can do but get in the way anyways.

If someone is TheChosenOne, that means everyone else ''isn't'' and [[NeverBeAHero shouldn't bother]], unless they're [[HeroSecretService taking a bullet for the hero]]. In any case, [[AllUpToYou it's all up to the hero]]. If the main characters are common people, they may discover that he has FeetOfClay, and have to manage without him. If combined with AllOfTheOtherReindeer, the people may start to look not only lazy, but ungrateful ''and'' hypocritical at that.

This is exemplified with any scene with a news report where the reporter ends with "...and the public wants to know, where is Superman?". Granted, cliché media (which lends fuel to almost all media in fiction) often tries to be hypocritical, regardless, to reflect on their shallow desire for ratings and such.

These arguments tend to fall flat, however, when used by an actual super villain. If the villain truly wants to help humanity progress, rather than trying to give philosophical angst to the super hero, they could probably improve matters more if they would just ''power down the death ray and stop being so damn villainous''.

Cities holding out for a hero usually lack [[TheRealHeroes real heroes]]. The trope often includes an AchillesInHisTent or a JustFineWithoutYou moment. Happens when the characters take ThinkNothingOfIt too seriously and the HeroHarassesHelpers. Contrast BadassBystander and AsLongAsThereIsOneMan. Often the cause for/savior in an EasilyConqueredWorld. TheParagon is out to prevent this. A fear of invoking this trope is commonly cited as a reason why ReedRichardsIsUseless. DestructiveSaviour is an inversion--the heroes end up making thing ''worse''.

It does have the advantage that when the angry citizens demand TheHero persecute the ReluctantMonster or something equally wrong, and he turns the demand back on them, the trope WhoWillBellTheCat often comes into play.

Perhaps you [[IThoughtItMeant were looking for]] the trope called BigDamnHeroes. (Wherein the premise is played straight and the {{Hero}} ''is'' in fact the only person who can save the day.) When the townsfolk are actively delaying the bad guys or doing other things to hinder them till the hero can get there, it is HoldTheLine. Also not to be confused with SheWillComeForMe, as the person in ''that'' trope usually does need the help.

----!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]* Arguably, the {{Aesop}} of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWingEndlessWaltz'' is "Don't wait for the heroes, do it yourself", a point emphasized by [[RebelliousPrincess Relena]] abandoning her stance of [[ActualPacifist Total Pacifism]] to encourage the [[{{Muggles}} civilians]] to stand up to the invading army, and by [[DarkChick Dorothy Catalonia]]'s rather effective [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Reason You Suck Speech]] to them when they still don't grasp what Relena was telling them.-->'''Man:''' Shut your mouth, lady! You're looking at a man who shot down five mobile suits in the war a year ago!-->'''Dorothy:''' That's funny, I don't see any men around here. The only men I know are either dead and buried, or are up on that screen! ''(points at giant TV showing the Gundam Pilots fighting)''* The {{Aesop}} of ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'' is similar: the finale is a brutal rejection of the notion that Newtypes (people with mild PsychicPowers) are in any way superior to ordinary humans, and that people cannot expect to rely on the guidance or assistance of Newtypes to solve their problems, they have to man up and do it themselves. This was a somewhat shocking reversal of one of the central ideas of the original Gundam series, that Newtypes were the [[EvolutionaryLevels next step in evolution]] and needed to use their power to guide humanity into a new golden age.* Completely averted in ''Manga/OnePiece''. Luffy has made it clear several times that if he comes across a place that subscribes to this philosophy, he's perfectly willing to let it rot. Fortunately, most of the places Luffy visits is filled with people perfectly willing to fight for what's important to them. The closest the series comes to this is a good denizens of [[MonsterMash Thriller Bark]], who are holding out for someone like Luffy to get their shadows back, but justified due to this being because they already ''tried'' on several occasions and utterly failed every time.** Averting this actually becomes a problem in the Alabasta arc, in which Koza believes that he's solving the country's problems himself by starting a rebellion, but since he was tricked into believing the wrong person was the villain, all he does is create more problems that need to be resolved by the "heroes" (though in fairness, he becomes pivotal in resolving everything after he finds out what was going on).* ''Manga/PingPong'': Within the friendship of Peco and Smile. Smile's stoicism was in response to Peco's lackadaisical attitude. As such, [[spoiler: Peco is the "hero"]] Smile continually fantasizes about.* Invoked in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX''; according to [[BigBad Nightshroud]], he will continue to exist as the collective [[TheHeartless Heartless]] of humans because they refuse to solve their own problems and always look for someone else to shoulder burdens.* The world of BokuNoHeroAcademia is one where a huge percentage of humans have ''some'' kind of superpower. Crime by superpowered criminals was rampant despite the efforts of Heroes (who have to be highly trained, licensed and regulated; they are effectively civil servants). Only the advent of [[TheCape All Might]] changed the situation. [[spoiler: The moment he retires, the villains start becoming much more active than before.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' explores the Trope. It concludes with a UN rep telling Superman that they (normal people) saw meta-humans as gods. Superman replies that they thought of themselves as such, and they were wrong. The comic ends with meta-humans and humans becoming equal partners.* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' has explored this on many an occasion, Supes himself seems particularly worried that the world will grow overreliant on him and become unable to function if anything happens to him. As a result, he holds off on stopping most crimes and natural disasters; his general philosophy is that if humanity can handle it on their own, he's going to let them try. This is arguably ComicBook/LexLuthor's beef with Superman... but only because Luthor wants humanity overreliant on ''him''.** In ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'', wherein a communist Superman had no problems with using his abilities to prevent every bad thing possible (from each according to his abilities and all that), people did indeed grow too reliant upon him to solve all their problems. Eventually cars stopped being manufactured with seatbelts -- the citizens expected Superman to save them if they got into a wreck. (Ironically enough, Lex Luthor opposed him on those grounds in that reality, too.)** Superman's ultimate retort to Lex Luthor comes in ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' at the end:--->'''Luthor''': ''I could have saved the world!''\\'''Superman''': You could have saved the world ''years'' ago if it had ''mattered'' to you.** This explains ComicBook/LoisLane's reckless behavior in many of the GoldenAge comics and Creator/FleischerStudios WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons. She gets in trouble so often because she's sure Superman will always come to save her, and in fact she ''wants'' the excuse to see Superman again. Highlighted in Creator/ElliotSMaggin's novel ''Literature/LastSonOfKrypton'':--->'''Professor Gordon''': Say you were somewhere really out of the way, Miss Lane. In Zaire. In the abandoned shaft of a diamond mine. The mine caved in. You had about an hour's supply of air. Absolutely no one knew where you were, and even if they did there would be no chance of getting you out in time. What goes through your mind?\\'''Lois Lane''': I wish Superman would stop stalling. I've got a deadline to meet.** The whole Superman holding back ordeal started in the Bronze age with Elliot S. Maggin's ''Must There Be A Superman?'' from Superman #247. In it, [[GreenLantern The Guardians of the Universe]] drag Superman to Oa and (with help from a little mind-control ray) tell him, point-blank, that his superheroics are causing human evolution to stagnate and to cut it out. He's shaken by it and decides to hold back on the situations that regular humans would be fine with dealing.* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':** Commissioner Gordon often has the worry of relying too much on Batman to patrol Gotham, and points it out in ''Comicbook/BatmanNoMansLand'' by claiming that he can't get himself hired anywhere because his reliance on an "urban legend" damages his credibility. Usually though, he has to admit that the corrupt and perpetually-underfunded police department couldn't handle Gotham's crime rate before, and probably couldn't now.** And, as ''Battle for the Cowl'' demonstrated, Gotham does indeed become a lawless warzone the moment Batman disappeared [[spoiler: and only returns to something resembling normality (for Gotham) once Dick accepts that there must be Batman (and he's it).]]** This happened LONG before ''Battle for the Cowl''. A large portion of the "Knight" arc (Knightfall/Knightquest/Knightsend),[[spoiler: apart from being a TakeThat at people who wanted a DarkerAndEdgier Batman]], was to point out that a huge part of the problem in Gotham was mostly psychological in nature, and that Gotham needs Batman, even a fake one.* In the first arc of ''{{JLA}}'', Superman explains why superhumans haven't done all the things the Hyperclan ([[spoiler:secretly White Martians conning the planet to trust them]]) are doing: it causes people to be even more unwilling to solve their own problems.* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. The police went on strike until a SuperRegistrationAct was passed.** Actually a subversion because the police were trying to get rid of the heroes because the heroes were taking away jobs, and tended to work without the restrictions that police did. When the heroes try to keep the city safe all on their own, they learn that 5 men and a girl in tights can't police an entire city. The city suffers continual riots until the heroes all retire.** Furthermore, you wouldn't exactly want the authorities to have the anti-social tendencies of characters like Rorscach or the Comedian.** At one point, Rorschach, has a bit of internal monologue that sounds like something from John Galt (see Literature, below):--->'''Rorschach''': The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll look down and whisper "No."** The US government has stopped finding ways to end the UsefulNotes/ColdWar through peaceful means because they have Dr. Manhattan on their side. This sends them right up Shit Creek when Dr. Manhattan abandons the planet, leaving them with nothing except stubbornness, a nuclear arsenal and a Soviet adversary that's sick of being bullied into submission and eager to flex its muscles. * Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' after ComicBook/TheAuthority retake the Carrier from their government-sanctioned replacement and have defeated the ridiculously overpowered hillbilly Seth. Because of the [[NiceJobBreakingItHero activities of the replacements]], the world faces total obliteration in 48 hours. Jack Hawksmoor not only says they're not going to do anything, he warns every other metahuman hero that he'll kick their asses if the heroes try to help world's leaders from solving the problem they were ultimately responsible for creating. It [[HandWave doesn't actually show]] ''how'' the world is saved, though.* In ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' the leader of the Fish & Bicycle Troupe deliberately conceals the existence of a living male monkey (which implies the existence of other surviving males) to prevent false hope amongst women that some man is going to come along and save them.* Averted in an issue of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' where Jarvis goes to visit his mother, only to find a bully has been harassing the folks in her neighborhood. The rest of the neighborhood wants Jarvis to get his Avenger buddies to take care of the problem. Jarvis tells them that minor problems like this need to be taken care of by normal people. So Jarvis challenges the bully to a fight, only to start losing until the rest of the neighbors pitch in to help him.* This trope will quite likely be averted in the event of MarvelUniverse's ''ComicBook/DarkReign'' as the superheroes will be quite hesitant to defend a public that entrusted Norman Osbourne and his band of supervillains as protectors along with the increased persecution of mutants in the event of House of M. Thus, society will have to depend more on themselves for protection.** Similar is to be expected in the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Universe in the face of Ultimatum as a good deal of the superheroes are dead, the Fantastic Four and Avengeres are disbanded, Captain America is a fugitive, increased public persecution of mutants, and Gregory Stark's superhuman task force does not strike the readers as trustworthy.* Somewhat averted in the ''Ultimate Secret'' mini-series, where the Ultimate Universe counterpart of Captain Marvel lends his scientific knowledge to NASA to help humanity save themselves by being able to flee from Galactus' destruction. Captain Marvel's efforts are cut short when the Kree sabotage the experimental spacecraft.* Averted in Creator/GarthEnnis' ''Comicbook/TheBoys'', where a team of superheroes known as the Seven, try to prevent the comics version of September 11th. The Seven fail miserably, with the moral of the story being that there are no such things as heroes.* Averted in ''ComicBook/DistrictX'' where the New York City police department handles various superhuman threats throughout Mutant Town without help from the superheroes (although the X-Men member Bishop was a member of the police force).* On various occasions, the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit has handled superhuman threats such as Metallo, and Parasite without help from Superman.* During Mark Waid's writing of Franchise/TheFlash, it was revealed that one of the liabilities of having a superhero in your city is that people feel more at liberty to conduct dangerous experiments, thinking that a superhero will save them if things go wrong.** That theme was also explored in Rick Veitch's ''Creator/BratPack'' where the presence of the Maxi-Mortal encouraged humans to have lesser safety standards for nuclear power plants. This wouldn't present a problem, however... if Maxi-Mortal hadn't been MIA for years.* Somewhat averted in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, where regular troops are kept fighting in wars. When the Ultimates intervened to help the US government overthrow a rogue state government, a band of superhumans known as the Liberators (supported by various nations), invaded America in response for using superhumans to intervene in political affairs.* Subverted in the the alternate Marvelverse, ''Comicbook/ThePunisherKillsTheMarvelUniverse'', highlights how easy it is to kill a large number of both superheroes and supervillains (especially if you have Creator/GarthEnnis [[WriterOnBoard writing]] the [[PlotInducedStupidity comic]]). Punisher [[spoiler: kills off the Avengers, X-Men, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with a teleporter device and nuclear weapons.]] Imagine how much more peaceful the world would be if the public adopted the Punisher's common sense approach in disposing of supervillains.** This very idea was fulfilled in another alternate universe ''ComicBook/TheLastAvengersStory''. [[spoiler: The government used superheroes to capture supervillains and then executed them.]] After that most heroes retired and their replacement had stagnated without strong enemies until [[spoiler: Kang killed them.]]* Averted in ''ComicBook/WhatIf: ComicBook/CivilWar'' where SHIELD, under the guidance of Henry Peter Gyrich, kills or imprisons [[spoiler:all the superheroes and supervillains on Earth]] using an [[spoiler:army of Thor clones]]. Gyrich then goes on to [[spoiler:win the US presidency]].* Somewhat averted in Mark Waid/Barry Kitson's 2004 remake for ''Comicbook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}''. The eponymous characters describe themselves as a social youth movement rather than a super-hero team. Cosmic Boy says that the Legion exists for the purpose of their teenage followers.* In ''ComicBook/{{Spectre}} #22'' (third series) the title character removes all the pollution that was created from him destroying the country of Vlatava and hurls it into outer space. Superman asks Spectre why he doesn't do that with all of Earth's pollution. Spectre responds that it is too dangerous for humanity to become too dependent on superhumans to solve their problems.* Spoofed in issue #0 of ''ComicBook/DrBlinkSuperheroShrink.'' When [[CaptainErsatz Captain Omnipotent]] realizes that his never-ending superheroics are due to overachiever guilt at being the last son of Crypto, he [[HilarityEnsues cheerfully ignores people's cries for help]] so they won't be dependent on him.* In Creator/JohnOstrander's writing of ComicBook/{{Firestorm}}, the eponymous hero is blackmailing Earth into abolishing nuclear weapons. When President Ronald Regan asks Superman for assistance in defeating Firestorm, Superman declines ("I might stand for truth, justice, and the American Way, but that does not make me your enforcer.")* Averted in Creator/AlanMoore's ''Comicbook/SwampThing'' where the eponymous character considers using his power to undo mankind's environmental destruction. Realizing that such actions would encourage further defilement of the planet and render environmentalism pointless, our hero declines to fix the environment.* ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer'':** During the 1960s series, he was fighting an evil duplicate in outer space. The Kremlin was watching this battle and was wondering if it was time to ally with the United States in the fight against a common enemy.** Subverted in ''Silver Surfer'' #5 where a space alien decides to destroy humanity. Silver Surfer's human companion sacrifices his life to diffuse a bomb set up by the space alien. The selfless sacrifice convinces the alien invader that humanity has enough nobility in them to be spared.* Subverted in the Franchise/DCUniverse version of World War II, where Hitler's TheSpearOfDestiny blocked out superhumans from entering the Axis campaign, thus leaving regular humans to fight the war.* Subverted with ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', where V tells the public that they either take responsibility for taking down the totalitarian dictatorship or V will obliterate both them and the totalitarian dictatorship.* Explored in ''ComicBook/TheAuthority: Revolution'', where the Authority has been disbanded for three years. Member Jack Hawksmoor says that the world seems better off without the Authority.* Justified in a late 1970s ''ComicBook/IncredibleHulk'' issue with the Hulk rampaging desperately through New York and all the regular authorities like the NYPD can't stop him. As a cameraman is getting this, he is wondering where are The ComicBook/FantasticFour, ComicBook/TheAvengers or ComicBook/SpiderMan to help stop the monster.* Averted in the Manhunter (Kate Spencer version, 2004-2007), where titular character/prosecutor decides not to execute the Shadow Thief in hopes that the criminal justice system can ultimately deliver a just verdict/security.* ''ComicBook/{{Superlopez}}'': Inverted for great comedy, especially in the early installments: people actually hope Superlópez ''will not'' turn up, since he's such a WalkingDisasterArea and his interventions tend to make things worse. He becomes more of a heroic figure as the series goes on.-->'''Bystander #1:''' ''(seeing the MonsterOfTheWeek coming his way)'' Our only salvation is Superlópez!-->'''Bystander #2:''' Then... we have NO salvation!* {{Deconstructed}} in ''ComicBook/{{Rat-Man}}'': superheroes exist to be of example and inspire people to step up and solve their problems, but the existance of too many heroes leads to people becoming overreliant on them, and when the people lose faith in their superheroes they're quick to place their thrust into the first apparent messiah with the power to back it up... That just happens to be the BigBad, [[EldritchAbomination the Shadow]]. Hence why [[spoiler:the Shadow ''created'' the many additional superheroes ''and'' the supervillains they fought and orchestrated their fall by exposing the fact they had all been created by the same agent of the Shadow]].* In ''ComicBook/{{Birthright}}'', the world of Terrenos has been fighting a loosing war against [[EvilOverlord God-King Lore]], which only got worse when the Five, powerful magic users and the greatest champions of their land, decided that were fighting a HopelessWar and they abandoned Terrenos. Their desperation is so great they teleport a little kid from Earth with no powers whatsoever because he is believed to be TheChosenOne. [[spoiler:And then said kid becomes a FallenHero and things become even worse]]. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]* The TropeNamer song is immensely popular for fan-made music videos * ''Two Halves'': Naruto calls out an entire clan of {{Bare Fisted Monk}}s on waiting for someone to come along and [[JumpedAtTheCall solve their problems]], when they can just as easily fix their own problems. * In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', Princess Celestia worries that this has happened, that she's protected and coddled her citizens for so long that they always depend on her or a hero to protect them and solve their problems.* {{Justified}} in ''Venus Flash'': when the Japanese police discovers that Panther Claw has returned they're ''ordered'' to stop investigating by corrupt politicians with the excuse that the organization has already been destroyed and investigating on an alleged return would cause panic, hence why superintendent-general Sakurada gets Sailor V's help. Sakurada is also savvy about the consequences of being overreliant on a superhero, given that her request is not to take care of the organization but to ''find evidence that Panther Claw is back'', thus allowing the police to intervene.* This trope drives the four ''crazy'' in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', because they're always being asked to do something heroic that the city guards really should have done, such as search for a missing citizen or rescue a kidnapped baby. The official excuse is usually that the guards are not empowered to do much outside the cities proper, or that the gods themselves chose the four to perform this heroic deed. Eventually they start refusing every request they get and pointing at other nearby outworlders who could do the job.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]* The people of Metro City in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' fulfill this trope practically to the point of deconstruction; they're so dependent on the hero to solve their problems that when the hero's no longer around, there's no one brave enough to stand up to the eponymous villain. However, this ends up demoralising the ''villain'', who finds himself facing an existential crisis over the fact that [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction everything's so easy for him now]] that the hero's no longer around and practically everyone else is too cowardly to oppose him. So he gives someone else superpowers in an effort to find someone who'll challenge him, and when the newcomer kicks his ass everyone flocks toward their new 'hero' -- unfortunately for them, they haven't considered the possibility that someone having superpowers and beating up a villain doesn't mean they're not a potentially ''worse'' villain... [[spoiler: and of course, the whole mess started in the first place because the original hero was so demoralized over the fact that everyone expected him to solve all their problems without consideration for what ''he'' might want to do that he just gave up.]]* {{Lampshaded}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'': during Jim Gordon's time as commissioner, he seems to have responded to every problem by simply turning on the bat-signal, to the point he carries the remote for it and pantomimes pressing the button when accepting applause, indicating that this was his signature response. When Barbara Gordon takes over for him, she points out that Batman has simply not been enough, and that Gotham has the highest crime rate in the world.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* In ''Film/{{Hancock}}'', step one of the plan to give homeless but super-powered VigilanteMan Hancock a more credible image is to allow himself to go to jail on charges of destruction of public property. Step two is to watch as the crime rate sky-rockets.* It's {{implied}} in ''Film/HotFuzz'' that pretty much the only thing stopping London's crime rate from spiraling completely out of control is P.C Nicholas Angel... which makes it a bit of an own goal when his superiors, sick of him upstaging them and the rest of the force, transfer him to Sandford in the middle of nowhere and have to humiliate themselves by crawling there to beg him to return. [[spoiler: And then he turns them down anyway. Whoops.]]* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/TheMeteorMan''. When the hero learns that his powers shut down for a time if he uses them too much, the entire community expresses their disappointment in him and decides to surrender to the Golden Lords. The hero then calls out all of his followers turned detractors, saying that they had no right to say he hadn't done enough to stop the gangs when ''they'' had done ''nothing''. This shames the ''entire community'' into pulling a BigDamnHeroes moment during the final battle.* ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'':** The first ''Film/SpiderMan1'' movie features the song "Hero", by [[Music/{{Nickelback}} Chad Kroeger]], which mentions this trope:--->''And they say that a hero can save us\\I'm not going to stand here and wait''** In ''Film/SpiderMan2'', when Peter Parker quits being Spider-Man for a while the crime rate in New York jumps by 75%. This isn't supervillain crime, this is stuff like two guys with shotguns robbing a bank then riding away. Either Spider-Man's presence was previously enough to deter petty criminals, so his absence has all the criminals coming out of the woodwork, or the [=NYPD=] has come to be waaay too reliant on Spidey's help.** {{Averted}} later in the same film: Spidey is battling Doctor Octopus (read: getting pummeled) when he is knocked into a moving subway. When Doc Ock comes in to finish him off, the citizens aboard the train tell him that he'll have to [[GoThroughMe go through them]], first. [[FoeTossingCharge He obliges]]. This was a callback to a slight aversion near the end of the first film, where the bystanders provide some minor (but useful) assistance by harassing the Green Goblin during his fight with Spidey.* In the 1996 MadeForTVMovie, ''Thrill'', a bomb is rigged in the seats of a roller coaster. Our hero disarms it and stops the ride [[FinaglesLaw (at the top)]], just before [[TerroristsWithoutACause the villain]] knocks him off onto the track. As he tries to re-arm his bomb, what do the passengers right next to him do? Sit there.* Avoided in the ''{{Transformers}}'' movie series. The Autobots are protecting humans, sure, but the military isn't exactly cowering behind Optimus Prime. In fact, the Autobots might not have won without their assistance and the military did take down a Decepticon on their own. [[FanDumb Some fans raged about this apparent Decepticon depowering...]] but then again, they'll rage about anything.** Eventually in the original 1980's Transformers cartoon, human contact with the Autobots greatly accelerated Earth's technological development. As a result, by the early 2000's humans were able to hold off the Decepticons by themselves.** This acknowledged in the ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' series, where the new Megatron attempted to kill the original proto-humans knowing that it was due to their assistance that the Autobots were able to win the Great War.* In ''Film/BatmanReturns'', Catwoman chews out a woman for this after saving her from an attacker.* Played straight at first in ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'', but later [[BuffySpeak invokedly]] averted. While heroes like Batman and Harvey Dent were needed to get there, better policing and new laws like the Dent Act have taken care of Gotham's huge problem with organized crime and corruption in the police force by ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.* In ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', while the Rangers are on Phaedos in search of the Great Power, Earth is left defenseless as Ivan Ooze finally unleashes his Eco-Morphicon Titans. As Alpha and a dying Zordon watch helplessly from the Command Center, you can hear a news reporter asking "Where are the Power Rangers?"[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', while they try to slow the invasion on their own, the kids spend the better part of the series waiting for Andalite rescue. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting...** They finally go on the true offensive when they realize that not only is no rescue coming, but [[spoiler: the Andalites have just decided to blow up the Earth, sacrificing the humans to kill the Yeerk forces on the planet.]]* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', the dwarves, after the dragons vanished (which negatively affects the dwarves) just sit around and twiddle their thumbs, and are only motivated to take action when one of them has a prophetic dream about a chosen one. In their defense, they didn't ''know'' what made the dragons disappear, and as it turned out in the end, only one of the Hurog family could do something about the problem. (Of course, instead of [[spoiler: sending a son to work as valet in Hurog to keep an eye on the family]], they could have sent a spy to find out what was wrong. On the other hand [[spoiler: there aren't many half-dwarves who can pass as human, and Axiel might have done some spying, he doesn't tell.]]) * In the ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' installment ''Pegasus in Flight'', Russia used an old law to forcefully draft the entire group of telekinetic talents. This caused a problem with some factories that were not upto safety regulations because these telekinetics were not available to assist in planet-side accidents.* In ''Literature/TalesOfAnMazingGirl'', Sarah occasionally agonizes over the effects that her superpowers (including the superpuppetry skills she learned at Cal Arts from one of the original Muppet creators) have on the world and how they become dependent on her doing its dirty work.* ''Literature/TheWorthingSaga'' deals with this issue. An entire planet of [[PsychicPowers telepaths and telekinetics]] has, from [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans altruistic motives]], eliminated pain on all the worlds. They heal any injuries instantly, they block grief at death (which is only from old age), etc. They finally figure out this has turned all of mankind into slaves, and commit mass suicide. Of course then when Pain returns, no one is equipped to deal with it...* Sort of used in the sixth ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' book, when Richard decides that if he continues to force the fight against the Imperial Order with his amazing super-powers, he will cause his people to become what he is fighting to protect them from.* The premise of Creator/JohnRingo's ''Literature/CouncilWars'' series is that humanity (well, the lazy dregs left on Earth anyway) has become utterly dependent on the all powerful AI Mother, and when that goes away they revert to panicked barbarism.* This happens to John Galt in ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'', when the economy is about to collapse and the government asks for his help. [[JustifiedTitle He refuses]].* Like many tropes related to TheChosenOne, this is deconstructed in ''Literature/TheAnnalsOfTheChosen'' by Creator/LawrenceWattEvans. [[spoiler:Ultimately, it's why most of the heroes stop trying to save people, leaving them to save themselves.]]* Creator/AndreNorton's ''[[AlternateHistory The Crossroads of Time]]'' offered this as part of the explanation for the Wardsmen's non-interference directive: "We must not lend crutches and so produce cripples."* The [[ChooseYourOwnAdventure interactive book]] ''Thrusts of Justice'' has a rather nasty usage. It turns out the aliens invading the planet are also the ones who created all the comic-style heroes and villains in the world. [[InvokedTrope They did so banking on this trope]], figuring humanity would get complacent and not bother developing defenses capable of repelling an alien invasion because if anything like that ever happened the superheroes would take care of it for them, and thus the human race would be defenseless when their heroes turned out to be under the enemy's control. They were right.* Invoked in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone''. Hagrid tells Harry that the reason wizards hide from the normal world is precisely to avoid this trope. People would request magical assistance for all their problems, so they'd never advance on their own. It's certainly demonstrated that it works in a roundabout way: magical society has become so dependent on their own abilities that its technology became stale centuries ago, and people who are born without magical powers (squibs) are either forced to leave with normal people (muggles) or relegated to menial jobs, and being dependent of others for such normal things as transport.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]* Averted in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Turn Left": [[spoiler: Humanity wasn't sitting around waiting for a hero but instead successfully fought off several threats that were defeated by the Doctor in the original timeline. We just weren't good enough to do it without huge casualties and they added up.]]* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':** In one episode, Jonathan casts a spell to make himself into a badass so great that the whole town worships the ground he walks on, and everyone remembers things as if Jonathan had always been that way. One consequence is that Buffy is less strong and confident than normal, since she remembers Jonathan rather than herself saving the town. It stands to reason that the {{Muggles}} must have suffered a similar loss of self-reliance.** In general, ''Buffy'' tends to rely on this - it's hinted that most people in Sunnydale are aware of what's going on but choose to ''pretend'' to be oblivious in the hope that [[BystanderSyndrome someone else will take care of it]], and anyone who is aware of the town's "secret" other than the hero and her friends and actually does something about it is generally a malevolent schemer with their own sinister plans. Furthermore, in the early seasons especially, much is made of the necessity for keeping Buffy's mission a secret without it ever being made clear ''why'' this is necessary, especially not to fill in Buffy's mom on what's happening.** In fact, Sunnydale was created as a subversion of this trope, as a place for demons to feed, with their police and such kept deliberately incompetent and with an extra-strength masquerade. When others step up and try to help, they're rarely punished for it, though told they shouldn't. That Buffy empowers people around her is part of the premise and shows up in the pilot, with Willow standing up for herself, and at the end of the series with the use of the scythe.** Of course, part of her de-evolution into a person that the rest of the Scoobies can barely tolerate (and later ''kick out of her own house'' so they (and [[TheChosenMany The Potential Slayers]]) can train in peace) during the last season is her getting this mentality in her brain, with her being the "hero" in question, and becoming TheNeidermeyer because of it.* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'':** There was an episode involving a Shop teacher in High School who was TheAggressiveDrugDealer sending out his students to send out drugs. The plot simultaneously tried to preach the strength to stand against the drug dealer... while having the drug dealer kill anyone who wasn't Creator/ChuckNorris or protected by Chuck Norris.** A similar episode had another teacher, this time a student of Walker, stand up to and thoroughly trounce three gangbangers who had barged into his classroom and started harassing one of his students... only to be shot and killed by the trio later that day. Apparently only Walker's martial arts can stop crime.* This is taken to almost absurd proportions in one episode of ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess''. Xena and her entourage enter a town just in time for a feud between two nobleman houses to erupt into all-out war, with a tragic, bloody conclusion. But then, a GroundhogDayLoop starts, which threatens to start the battle again. Xena tries everything to stop the loop; she tries getting the two families to make peace, and ''succeeds'', but that doesn't stop it; she makes them angry enough at ''her'' to [[GenghisGambit get them to stop fighting]], but still, the loop happens. Finally, a young man tells her why it's happening: he and the daughter of the opposing house were StarCrossedLovers, and mades a deal with Cupid to have the day repeat itself until he finds a way to keep his lover from killing herself and their families from killing each other; until a "Hero would come along to save [the girl], make peace between the houses and end the loop." He had numerous chances to tell Xena, but the thing is:-->'''Starcrossed Male:''' I was expecting [[Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys Hercules]] or at least [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad Sinbad]].** Despite this blow to her pride, and nearly being driven crazy trying to sort it out, Xena is able to save the day by using logic - and her trusty chakram - after analyzing the countless loops she had to go through.* Even heroes aren't immune. In ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger''/''Series/PowerRangersSPD'', the Rangers begin to slack off when their commanding officer becomes a SixthRanger and begins busting heads. As soon as he finds out, [[HelpingWouldBeKillstealing he begins answering calls for backup with "Suck it up and do it yourself."]]* In Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder, there's an episode where Tommy is in a coma and the other Rangers lose their powers. The monster of the week keeps attacking the city, leading to a news caster asking the question, "Where are the Power Rangers?"* In ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'', when the Gokaiger makes their arrival on Earth, the ''first'' thing the citizens ask them are "Are you guys the new Super Sentai?" * In an episode of ''Series/MyHero'', Thermoman accidentally erases his own memory, forgetting all about his identity as a superhero and only retaining his George Sunday persona. Janet is reluctant in reminding him who he is partially due to seeing him so happy and partially due to Janet wanting a normal life for once. Of course, this causes crime and other disasters to sky-rocket (in fact, a news report even mentions that many firefighting and police services around the world have been ''shut down'' because Thermoman made them redundant). To make matters worse, a ''meteor'' is suddenly heading towards the Earth...* Brother Tuck suggests the people of Locksley and surrounding areas are becoming like this in ''Series/RobinHood'':-->'''Tuck''': The Lord helps those who helps themselves, Robin. Your protection weakens them. We're failing in our mission. We're supposed to be inspiring these men to stand up and fight for themselves, giving them ''real'' hope.* ''Series/LazyTown's'' Sportacus came to the town with the aim of helping the kids live more healthy and active lives, but he seems to be the only form of law enforcement in the town and ends up spending most of his time rescuing the kids from dangerous situations.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Multiple Media]]* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'''s Matoran villagers on the island Mata Nui halfway averted this, as they kept [[BigBad Makuta]]'s forces at bay for nearly a thousand years, but were already tiring and losing people. The arrival of the Toa then tipped the balance of power into their favor. In what could be a subversion, the Toa only rushed to their help because they were a dandy lot of heroic chaps, and because due to their amnesia, they didn't remember that protecting villagers wasn't the reason they had been sent there.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]* Deconstructed in the RockOpera penned by Music/TheProtomen, where TheDragon's FaceHeelTurn is motivated by his realizing that the human race would rather wait for a superhero to save them than take any action on their own part. The suite's defining theme, indeed, is whether a people who refuse to fight for themselves deserve to live.** It's an exceptionally depressing case. [[spoiler: Protoman]]'s VillainSong sounds less like him condemning humanity's refusal to fight and more like him pleading for them to get angry enough at his betrayal to finally act. [[spoiler: When Megaman has to kill Protoman, he too abandons humanity to their own inaction.]]** The Protomen's prequel album, ''Father of Death'', also runs with this theme. Dr. Light believes humans are strong enough that they would refuse someone trying to wrest control from them, even if they do it "for their own good". Dr. Wily disagrees. [[ForegoneConclusion Guess who won that argument?]]* Also deconstructed/played with in Nickleback's "A Hero Can Save Us", where the song's narrator notes how everyone figures they just need a hero to come save them, but he's "not gonna stand here and wait"...ultimately ''becoming'' that hero.* "Holding Out for a Hero", by Music/BonnieTyler, the TropeNamer, only partly counts as an example. The lyrics imply the singer desires a heroic figure for a lover, but the original context counts against it: The song was specifically written for a scene in ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' in which the protagonist is challenged to a GameOfChicken in a tractor, and finds himself the accidental victor (his shoelaces get stuck in the gearing, preventing him from bailing out), making him an AccidentalHero at best. (Although, the song has been used in ''many'' movies, television series, and even video games during BigDamnHeroes moments.)[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* The MMORPG ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' plays this to multiple ends:** On one hand, the presence of superpowered beings in Primal Earth doesn't stop the world's militaries and police forces from trying their best to handle things on their own. Until the [[AlienInvasion Rikti War]], for example, [[CityOfAdventure Paragon City]]'s police department was confident in its ability to "serve and protect" without relying on heroes to do all the work. Even when the war's aftermath left the PPD barely able to function, Chief Conrad Bochco vowed to protect the city without seeking alliances or help from the numerous hero organizations--but the PPD is not above letting superpowered beings join the police force, as Blue Steel shows. (This is why the PPD's Awakened Division, comprised of officers who [[FusionDance fused]] with [[EnergyBeings Kheldians]], is so controversial within the police force; some argue it's a form of relying on outside help.)** On the other, the citizens of Paragon City often hold out for a hero when criminals and villains confront them (some of the purse-snatching gang members will even accuse their victims of this), knowing full well that a hero will (hopefully) step in and save them. Many are still ungrateful about it, though ("There you are! There's never a hero around when you need one!").** And the trope is turned upside-down in the City of Villains expansion. There, the global criminal organization [[EverythingsWorseWithSpiders Arachnos]] has somehow legally become the government of what's now known as the Rogue Isles. The police basically exist to minimize the threat to the government rather than serve and protect the common people, and Lord Recluse has reduced the laws to "[[SocialDarwinism Do what you have the power to get away with]]". Crime is so rampant that, for the first 30 or so levels, a villain character ''only fights other villains to come out on top''. The trope comes into play because most citizens have completely given up hope of proper law and order being reinstated, and rather than hold out for a hero usually just live constantly looking over their shoulder and ready to duck for cover.* Averted in ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'' and its American counterpart, ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents''. "Ouendan" can be roughly translated as "cheer squad"... and that's your job, my friend. The duty of the Ouendan and the Agents is to provide encouragement through song and dance - the person being aided does the actual work. The only exception in either series is [[spoiler:the last level of either game, where the Ouendan/Agents act as the focus for the CombinedEnergyAttack.]]* Averted in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'': Although you, playing [[AGodIsYou Amaterasu]], have been helping the braggart swordsman Susano achieve fame by performing miraculous feats which he believes are his own, it doesn't take him long to realize that he's being "played with" by the gods. He then renounces any further help and goes off on his own. [[spoiler:(Although you do get to assist him one last time, against Orochi, he deals the final blow all by himself.)]] Additionally, although Amaterasu is able to defeat [[spoiler: Yami, the Lord of Eternal Darkness, it's only because [[CombinedEnergyAttack the faith of all the people of Nippon]] granted her the divine might to do so.]]* ''VideoGame/UltimaIX'' was strongly themed on this trope. The Avatar was originally intended to be a role model, an example to follow, but after saving Britannia so many times, the people simply held out for the Avatar to solve all their problems. This was Lampshaded by the BigBad, and in Moonglow, the town of Honesty a cranky citizen laid down the most brutal truth.* While the ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series is a prime offender of this notion, it is subverted in the background story for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. The only time that the trope is invoked before a hero is found, it fails, and the gods can do nothing but flood the land, leaving Ganon in stasis.** An aversion shows up in ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'''s explanation of the timeline, which branches into three. One branching timeline begins with Link getting killed during the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''. However, the knights of Hyrule and the seven sages manage to thwart and seal Ganon themselves after a great war, forming the backstory of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link To The Past]]''.* This is very much the state of Sylvarant in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', where everyone seems to be mostly reliant on the fact that TheChosenOne will have to save them all. Nobody seems to think much about what having all these hopes and that responsibility shoved onto her this does for the Chosen's self-esteem.* The Republic in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' had quite a lot of this, as Kreia points out in [=KOTOR=] 2. The Republic is incapable of handling the marauding Mandalorians until a few Jedi join them. Kreia even has a philosophy based on this. Helping people by solving their problems for them only makes them weaker by taking away to conflict that could have made them stronger. She's fine with the player "helping" people, but only so long as they player understands that what they're doing isn't actually helping those people, but helping themselves by making them dependent on the player.* A [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Closed Fist]] argument against heroism in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire''. The way to help others isn't to solve their problems, but to force them to suffer and grow strong enough to survive without some wandering PC solving all their problems.* In ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger'', the residents of Fall City needs Rangers' help for things like finding lost Pokémon, moving boxes, and lighting up dark rooms. Luckily, by the end, they become more self-reliant.* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' [[DeconstructedTrope picks this apart]] in small-scale with the LoveDodecahedron in Verdham. If Linda simply talked to [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Borlock]] and explained she loved Pepe and not his son [[UpperClassTwit Iwan]], she could easily get him to abandon the ArrangedMarriage and find some other way of repaying her late parents' debt. Instead, Linda expects Pepe to sweep in and fix everything, despite knowing that Pepe is an ExtremeDoormat whom she's forcing to choose between [[MoralDilemma her love and his family's welfare]]. Ultimately, this FatalFlaw costs her everything when Pepe decides the only way to resolve the situation is to [[DidNotGetTheGirl take himself out of the picture]].** Also {{Lampshaded}} several times, with various residents saying they shouldn't ask a bunch of strangers to solve their problems.* This trope gets discussed in ''VideoGame/WildARMS2''. In fact the whole question of what it really means to be a hero is a major theme of the game.* In pretty much all ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games, we see [[PoliceAreUseless useless police]] and ApatheticCitizens who wait for some random 10-year-old to do everything for them.** Subverted and lampshaded in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. Subverted in that several authority figures, including most of the Gym Leaders and the [[RetiredBadass retired Champion]], are trying to curb Team Plasma's more criminal acts, but fail because they don't have the information (or [[TheChosenOne destiny]]) that the player character does. The lampshading is mostly by Team Plasma members, who are pushing N to be the "hero" so they can [[AnimalWrongsGroup outlaw Pokemon husbandry]], and N himself who wishes the ApatheticCitizens cared as much as you do.* The quest givers in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' will sometimes fall into this. Sure the racial capitals have level 80-something guards patrolling the streets, the throne rooms have level 80-something elites standing by, and the starter areas have ''level 90 elites'' standing around doing very little, but they can still send level 5 players to take care of the local orc problem. Some of the quest givers are just people who send the players to collect those TwentyBearAsses, even though it's their jobs, but because they're either very tired or just too lazy to do it. You'll also sometimes run into a very high-leveled quest giver in a low-level area who asks you to take care of a problem they're perfectly capable of handling, sometimes not even seeming that busy.* Happens in Spore's Space age, but it's only one way. If the player attacks another empire, a dozen or more ships which also continuously spawn more along with the turrets in each city will attack the player relentlessly, probably killing or driving off the player early on until the player gets the topmost upgrades. However, if one of the player's colonies or allies is attacked their planets offer only a token resistance expecially if they lack turrets while calling for the player to help them, and if the player doesn't show up, whatever planet was attacked is pretty much forfeit.* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has one point where the main character has the option to do this after being captured and thrown in prison. You can either attempt to break out on your own (not terribly difficult, even without your gear), or simply say that you're sure your friends will rescue you and chose which two party members will attempt the jailbreak. This can lead to several [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Crowning Moments of Funny]] based on your choices.* Several of the quests in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' can come off this way, though the implication is that, [[TakeYourTime no matter how long you take to get around to jumping on that quest]], you got there just in time to help pull them back from the brink. ** An example of this being played straight is [[BadassBookworm Liara's]] recruitment mission in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'': You find her trapped in a forcefield she accidentally activated when her research camp came under attack. Her dialogue changes based on how many quests you did before recruiting her, with the clear implication that [[TetherCatPrinciple she has been hanging there the whole time waiting for someone to come get her out.]] This doesn't speak too badly of her, she was unable to move after all, but it does make the would-be kidnappers who have been camping right on top of the equipment you use to save her this whole time without pushing the "on" button look pretty stupid.* Subverted in ''Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime'' when the Mother Glooperior asked two other slimes to help her move a heavy iron ball because it would've been unfair of them to expect Rocket to do ''everything''.* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': Due to a combination of contradictory orders, bureaucratic red tape, stretched resources, and [[GeneralFailure General "Wait-and-See" Oliver]]'s strategy, the NCR can't accomplish very much at all without the Courier's assistance. They need his/her help to run supplies, train soldiers and medical personnel, interrogate prisoners, catch Legion spies, assassinate Raider leaders, carry out diplomatic missions, and even retake towns that have fallen into Legion hands. If the player doesn't do them, they simply never get done, as the epilogue shows.* In ''VideoGame/RuneScape'', Major Mary Rancour gets upset and starts ranting during the quest Kindred Spirits about how her Burthorpe Guards have started slacking in their duties, as the World Guardian will just come along and undo any damage done by troll invasions.* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' the inhabitants of Spira have accepted over generations that the only relief they will ever receive from the city-destroying Sin is the Summoners and their pilgrimage to obtain the Final Aeon- at least until Sin inevitably returns again [[spoiler:reborn from the Final Aeon itself]]. During Operation Mi'ihen, the Crusaders and the Al'Bhed team up for a unique attempt to subvert the trope by trying to destroy Sin themselves with a powerful machina cannon. [[TearJerker It fails, almost all of them die, and the survivors are excommunicated from the Church of Yevon for their heresy]], and the people of Spira had presumably tried (and failed) to fight Sin in the past, so to be fair you can kind of understand their complacent mindset.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' evoked this trope and named it [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/05/08/episode-843-the-superman-complex/ "The Superman Complex"]], and then showed the problems of relying on it in this CrapsackWorld.* ''Webcomic/TheGodsOfArrKelaan'' when Mike, god of Honor/Valor, first gained his powers he worked as a superhero causing this effect. He decided he needed to change his strategy.* In the ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' arc "Phoenix Rising," Oasis takes the role of vigilante protector for the town of Podunkton. Most of the citizens accept her either out of gratitude or fear of being next on her hit list, and the local police force thinks this is just peachy, since they get to collect their government paychecks without having to do squat. Officer Tod ''does'' prove himself able to hold his own against an expert assassin, though, having been a mob enforcer before Oasis cleaned up the town.* Implied in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' when the new mayor is attacked by dinosaurs.-->'''Mayor Goodrich''': The police won't deal with this?\\'''Driver''': Yeah, we're all pretty used to waiting for Dr. [=McNinja=] to handle the weird stuff.* Happens briefly in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. After the city is overrun by hobgoblins, several of the fleeing soldiers accidentally become aware of the elf wizard who had fought alongside them also fleeing the invading army under a spell of invisibility. These soldiers actually stop their retreat and proceed to bombard the elf with demands to save them, turn them invisible, teleport them out of there, blast the hobgoblins, anything. Unfortunately for them, said wizard is completely out of spells by this point and can only watch as they are slaughtered by the hobgoblins.* In ''Webcomic/DubiousCompany'', [[LivingMacGuffin Sal]] plays this straight since she has the [[BornLucky favor]] of a [[RandomNumberGod god]] and [[DesignatedVictim 1,025 kidnappings]] to justify it before meeting the pirates. She and the pirates then become accustomed to [[{{Ninja}} Tiren]] saving them, until they all get captured. Once they realize the severity of [[HumanSacrifice Kreedor's plan]] for Sal, the rest of the crew are forced to [[TookALevelInBadass pull their weight]].-->Walter: We've still got Tiren! (Cut to Tiren [[ProperlyParanoid chained up, in stocks, from a suspended metal box in a separate cell]].)-->Tiren: My nose itches.* In ''Webcomic/IDontWantThisKindOfHero'', Dana, the chief of the resident HeroesRUs, feels that this has become the case, making the 'heroes' a form of evil in disguise. That said, she then adds that regardless, someone in danger should always get help, and thus if someone else is in danger, they should help them.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' is a deconstruction of this concept. The city worships its super heroes and relies on them to fight evil regardless of their personal qualities, which allows Captain Hammer to get away with being a total jerk to everyone who isn't as strong as he is. Captain Hammer's [[JerkJock boorish]] behavior is what turns Doctor Horrible into a super villain, and their squabble over the one person who is genuinely trying to make the city a better place ends up [[spoiler:killing her]].* Occasionally invoked in Jabootu's ''Challenge of the {{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}}'' recaps, when making a snarky comment on the (non-super) characters' stupid actions, for example:-->Here, a passenger dirigible impales itself (!!) on what looks suspiciously like the Chrysler Building. You know, I’m pretty sure they’re not supposed to be flying that low. On the other hand, if the entire human race is getting lazy and stupid because of superheroes always saving them, then [[{{Superman}} Metropolis]] must be that phenomenon’s epicenter.* In Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale, everybody is perfectly happy to allow Tamika Flynn and her child army take on [=StrexCorp=] [[spoiler: and their lack of help leads to them losing and being captured. Cecil gives everyone a disappointed lecture about this trope before he, too, is taken into custody.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', Dr. Amanda Blake Waller, of the Cadmus group, is half of the time sympathetically depicted in her frustration at this; despite "extra-legal" (and in some cases, [[KnightTemplar downright hideous]]) methods of dealing with it.* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'':** One episode was devoted to showing how the citizens of Townsville have become so used to the girls taking care of everything from invading monsters to fires to getting cats out trees that every problem is shrugged off with, "Oh, the Powerpuff Girls will take care of it." This causes the girls to go on strike. Subverted somewhat, in that they ''still'' had to help the townsfolk realize that monster+electrical wires+water>soggy toast. They didn't get the "toaster in the bathtub" analogy, and instead took it to mean they had to get the monster's toast soggy. The girls spelled it out for them. Then the townsfolk claimed total credit for it, and started exulting that they didn't need the Powerpuff Girls anymore.** Reversed in another episode that had an obsessive collector of Powerpuff Girl merchandise capture the Girls themselves to add to his collection. The people of Townsville paid the girls back for helping them by going to the collector's house and ripping up all his merchandise, freeing the Girls in the process. Since he was a [[ThisLoserIsYou flabby, bald, overweight]] {{Otaku}} with no powers, there wasn't much he could do to stop them.** Another episode had the girls replaced by a phony hero called Major Man, a {{Superman}} {{expy}} with genuine powers who was [[EngineeredHeroism secretly setting up crimes so he could stop them and get the credit]]; the citizens of Townsville give him it because he's outwardly a more impressive and traditional hero than three kindergarten girls. When the girls find out what he's been up to (he literally [[KickTheDog kicks a dog]] onto the road to save it), they set a friendly monster called Fred on the city and he is completely overpowered, and useless as he never set it up and never fought real crime or monsters. When Fred first attacked, the citizens of Townsville happily ignored him as they thought "Major Man will take care of it"; they only panicked when he didn't.** And yet another episode had a cop go nuts thinking that the reason he was fired from the force was because of the PPG taking all the credit for stopping crime and making the cops look bad and losing funding. He was actually fired because he was a corrupt, incompetent JerkAss (he's ''asleep'' during an armed robbery, and his apartment is full of seized merchandise), and he decides to take revenge on the girls using some of Mojo Jojo's old equipment that he stole from the evidence locker. He is thwarted by his fellow officers, leading the narrator to give the police department partial credit for saving the day at the end of the episode.* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' has Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)'s scarab warp him and Batman to a distant planet that was once saved by a previous wielder of the Beetle powers. The amoeba-like inhabitants are being enslaved and want Jaime to rescue them, but he tries to convince them to stand up on their own two feet. It takes a while.-->'''Jaime:''' And remember, it's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!\\'''Batman:''' They don't ''have'' knees.* This is frequent in ''WesternAnimation/FiremanSam''. In one of the most striking examples, a hob has been left on, and some paper napkins catch fire. Now, that's bad, but you'd think that someone among the half-a-dozen adults would be able to deal with it. Nope, they just panic and shout for help, calling out two fire trucks to save the day. Even worse, one of those present ''is actually a fireman himself'', and his reaction is to yell "Call for Fireman Sam!".* Averted in the animated film, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'', where initially President Slade Wilson (one of the few heroes left on the parallel Earth) refuses to use nuclear weapons against the Crime Syndicate. [[spoiler: At the end of the film, President Wilson leads an army of space marines to assist the Justice League in apprehending the Crime Syndicate.]]** Earlier in the film, when the heroic Lex Luthor brings the Justice League to his earth, he asks Superman not to interfere in his fight with [[EvilCounterpart Ultraman]], saying it won't mean anything if an outsider defeats him.* Utilized in a very dark way in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday''. After seemingly coming back from the dead, one of Superman's first acts is to save a little old lady's cat from being stuck in a tree... After which he gives a rather soul-crushing [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech diatribe]] about the fact that while he was helping doing this, there were any number of car accidents, bank robberies or supervillains he could have been stopping, and the people maybe needed to start thinking for themselves before he started getting angry. [[spoiler:Of course, he was a BrainwashedAndCrazy [[CloningBlues clone of Superman]] created by Lex Luthor to discredit the Man of Steel post-mortem, but still...]]* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" has Rainbow Dash and the eponymous mare running around saving folks. [[NoOSHACompliance At least two involved a road down a steep hill that led directly off a cliff.]] Nopony thought to build a crash barrier.* The enslaved hares in ''[[ComicBook/BuckyOHareAndTheToadWars Bucky O'Hare]]'' were waiting for the titular hero to rescue them. This annoys insurrectionist Mimi La Floo, who is trying to set up a resistance movement, to no end.* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'', the American heroes are called upon around the world for emergencies, even for local issues. For instance, when a plane crashes in a remote region of Tibet, the local authorities call upon Superman and The Flash to help get to them in time even while they on the other side of the planet in America. It does help that they are each super fast.* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE22JokersFavor "Joker's Favor"]]: Charlie Collins is just a {{muggle}} [[TheEveryman everyman]] that yelled at a bad driver only to realize too late that [[MuggingTheMonster it was the Joker]] and spends the next two years on the run from him. Even though Charlie eventually gets Batman's attention to help him, in the end, it's Charlie himself who faces down his tormentor, and does such a good job of it that by the end of it, ''the Joker'' is yelling for Batman to come help ''him''.* One ''ComicStrip/USAcres'' segment of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' involves a new rooster taking Roy's place. When the weasel invades the farm and steals the chickens, the rooster runs and hides. Orson vigorously attempts to shame and then forcibly drag the rooster to do it's duty. Within all the time it takes him to get the rooster to the scene of the crime, Roy has already done the job himself.* ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'': In the episode "[[ItsAWonderfulPlot It's a Wonderful Scoob]]," Scooby, having suffered a major HeroicBSOD while trying to capture [[TimeMaster Time Slime]], quits the gang and leaves; to convince him to return, Vincent Van Ghoul shows him a BadFuture where Time Slime rules the world. In said BadFuture, Shaggy, the only member of the gang who hasn't pulled a FaceHeelTurn, has gone completely insane, adamantly insisting that one day, Scooby ''will'' return and save the world.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* As anyone who has worked at some sort of repair, warranty, or other help-related job can verify, people will do the most... inane things under the belief that simply calling Technical Support will solve everything or that "it's covered in the warranty".** In general, science, technology, and other general ideas are sometimes treated this way too. Whether it's okay to do something silly because 'it can just be fixed' or reasoning that some things aren't needed because 'they' can always make it better later or what have you.*** Sometimes this trope is {{Justified|Trope}} if trying to solve the problem yourself will only make things worse. People who try to fix their cars or rewire their basements without knowing what they're doing can easily DoomItYourself when waiting for a professional to do the job would actually ensure that it's done right.* It has also been studied and observed in psychology; when a group of people is presented with a crisis -- someone in the next room screaming for help, for instance -- an individual will act, but a group of people will freeze. Why? Because in a group, everyone is waiting for someone else to step forward, take charge, be proactive... be the "hero", in other words. And the larger the group, the worse the dithering and the longer the wait will be before someone acts.... However, this should probably be counted as a subversion, because it is the "hero" who steps up and takes charge who inspires the rest of the group to act (which is why 'taking charge' and giving out orders is taught to students in CPR classes. It jolts bystanders out of their freeze.) ** The important part of this is singling out individuals. You don't say "Someone call an ambulance", because this trope will often mean ''nobody'' will do so. You point at a single person and say "''You'', in the RedShirt, call for an ambulance ''now!''"** This has since been labelled the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect bystander effect]]. It is also known as "Genovese syndrome" after the 1962 stabbing of Kitty Genovese in the [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity Kew Gardens section of Queens]] where, according to a New York Times article published a couple of weeks after her murder, dozens of neighbors purportedly heard about the stabbing but no one did anything about it like call the police. The details of the article have since been criticized as inaccurate, but the event drew attention to the social phenomenon.** Also inverted, in that many police departments tend to encourage something like this trope and discourage regular citizens from trying to take the law into their own hands or acting as heroes in dangerous situations such as crimes (beyond calling the emergency services when necessary, performing basic first aid if trained or doing what's necessary to keep someone alive, of course). This is usually under the rationale that the emergency services are trained to deal with these situations, and an untrained citizen who barges in half-cocked trying to be a hero will often end up making things worse, putting themselves in danger or even getting themselves killed. * This trope describes the economic concept of "Moral Hazard", which is the idea that a party insulated from risk will behave differently than they would if fully exposed to the risk. The ur example used in class is the seatbelt law; studies have shown that people who wear seatbelts tend to drive faster than those who don't, the idea being that because the seatbelts make them safer, they take more risks.** This is also known as "Risk Compensation."* Seen in many arguments about nuclear waste or global warming or overuse of antibiotics or the like. "Don't worry about it, future technology will be able to handle it, they will invent a way".* Look at how many students do not do their schoolwork or turn in substandard work, thinking that the teacher will throw in a bunch of extra credit or other ways to boost the student's grades.** Doubly funny when the extra credit work is usually harder or more tedious than the main coursework, defeating the purpose of slacking off and relying on extra credit work only.* One wonders if more banks will be willing to offer irresponsible loans, and people will feel tempted to take them, thinking that the US government is going to bail them out as in the case of Lehman Brothers and General Motors... and the Savings and Loan crisis of the early 1990s.** That depends on whether those institutions believe they will get another bailout, which seems rather unlikely given the unpopularity of the last one. It's worth noting that the last financial crisis didn't come about because the banks expected to be saved, but because they failed to notice the risks they were taking even when economists warned them. There was also an element of hot potato involved; the trades that caused the problem were extremely lucrative as long as you aren't stuck with them at the end.[[/folder]]